ABP le 7/10/04
During his visit to Hanoi, Jacques Chirac took position for cultural diversity
The Presisdent of the french republic, a state that does not recognize any national minority and has refused to ratify the European Charter for Minority Languages (1992), that is one of the rare european country that has refused to sign the Convention Cadre for the Protection of National Minorities (Stasbourg Parliament 1995), and that recognizes only one oficial language, has declared today in Hanoi: " If we shall arrive in a world where there shall be only one language, it would mean, only one culture. It would be a true environemental disaster."
"Cultural goods are not are not ordinary" argued the french President, and he added "We must respect them, we must help them".
The president's comments were in a context denouncing american cultural domination.
ABP
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